SIVplanmeet-svg3c_Veitayaki3

							   Expanding Community
Outreach in the Pacific Islands



              Joeli Veitayaki
      University of the South Pacific
          veitayaki_j@usp.ac.fj
         Mainstreaming Community
                 Outreach

• Pacific Islanders are responsible for managing a
    significant part of the world’s largest ocean
•   Pacific Islanders are dependent on marine resources
•   The best lessons for Pacific Islanders are from
    Pacific experiences and people
•   Pacific Islanders are owners of the resources
•   Pacific Islands experiences and aspirations are
    similar
•   Regional Organisations can spearhead the regional
    community outreach
        Regional Community Outreach
                  Activities
• Regional Organisations all have community outreach activities
   – Noumea-based Secretariat of the Pacific Community – human welfare,
     health, marine fisheries research and management
   – Suva-based University of the South Pacific (USP) - education, training
     and research
   – Suva-based Pacific Islands Forum – summit for independent states
   – Suva-based South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) –
     technical research on non living resources such as water, integrated
     water management, coastal management and mapping
   – Apia-based South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) –
     environmental management
   – Honiara-based Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency - manage the tuna
     resources of the region and assist member countries
   – Suva-based Tourism Council of the South Pacific – coordinate tourist
     development
       Regional Community Outreach
                 Activities
•   South Pacific Games
•   Pacific Festival of Arts
•   USP Centres in all member nations
•   USP Open Day to be observed across the Pacific
•   National Youth Assembly
•   National Conservational Areas were set up in each country
•   Turtle Conservation Campaign
•   Environment Week
•   International Waters Project
•   Locally Managed Marine Areas Network
•   IOI-PI assist women activities in Samoa (workshop on MDG),
    Solomon Islands (women souvenir outlet, Vanuatu (micro
    finance)
•   Exchange and internship programmes
      Future of Community Outreach

• Successful community development is critical
• Awareness has been created sufficiently and good
    lessons learnt
•   Appropriate action that take the lessons learnt into
    consideration is required at all levels
•   Financial support is required
•   Failures have to be minimised
•   Better coordination is required
•   Partnership is more effective
•   Better use of university and school students has
    potential
•   Youths need to be engaged for future is theirs